


The Universe in His Eyes

by ilovemiax



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: F/M, Feelings Realization, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Mutual Pining, Sex in the first and last chapter, Slow Burn, Weddings, kind of a slow burn i mean its five chapters, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2020-02-09 21:49:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18646762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilovemiax/pseuds/ilovemiax
Summary: Paladin Danse is invited to the wedding of a ghoul child he and Cutler once saved. However, he doesn’t want to go alone and decides to invite Hancock(for moral support, of course).While there, Danse is forced to come face to face with how he truly feels about Goodneighbor's Mayor.





	1. Cutler is a Dad for the Day

**Author's Note:**

> First chapter takes place pre-game and everything after that is Post Blind Betrayal. Cutler and Danse are a couple, then later Hancock and Danse are a couple. 
> 
> I can't believe I have to say this but: If you don't like it don't be an asshole and comment to say you don't like it. Also, I don't accept criticisms as I'm not trying to gain anything from them.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danse & Cutler encounter a caravan of slavers and become parents for a day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings: implied human trafficking, stealthy handjobs

Danse admired Cutler’s heart. He admired a lot of things about Cutler. His perfect face, appealing body shape, and glowing personality. Danse actually thought that everything about Cutler was perfect.

“You’re staring,” Cutler’s voice cut into Danse’s thoughts.

He scowled, “No, I wasn’t.”

Cutler laughed and poked Danse in the side, “You might as well have been.”

Danse huffed, “We are on a mission and on missions I am strictly professional.” Their mission currently being a basic search for technical documents for Proctor Quinlan. So far, they had been unsuccessful due to certain “distractions” at every turn. It wasn’t Danse’s fault that the brotherhood fatigues perfectly shaped their asses and left little to the imagination up front. Meaning, that Danse made Cutler take point or else his hands would be grabbing in places meant for the privacy of their bedroom.

“You said that last night too.”

Danse’s face shot bright red and he looked away. “Last night was a lapse in judgement.”

“Last night was perfectly logical. It was hot out and if we didn’t remove any layers we were bound to get a heat stroke and die.” Cutler threw a cheeky grin at his boyfriend. If anything, the one thing that Cutler knew he was good at was distracting Danse and getting him to break his natural stoic nature.

His grin did exactly what he wanted because Danse’s face went red and he sped up passing Cutler to hide his embarrassment (or arousal) both often fell into the same category when it came to the Knight.

Cutler almost had to run to catch up with Danse. He slammed into his back as Danse suddenly stopped shot.

“Ow, Danse, what the he-” Cutler stopped talking when he noticed what Danse was looking at.

Just below them was a caravan of traders. More specifically a craven of traders who dealt in human trafficking. The group was being shuffled along with several mercs holding them at gunpoint.

Cutler wasted no time in raising his rifle and taking aim. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Danse doing the same. “Wait until I get into position,” Danse muttered softly and moved to flank the other side.

Cutler waited patiently for Danse to signal he was in position. Then, like they had done so many times, fired at the mercs steadily taking them out one by one until on one was left alive. What they didn’t expect was the slaves to take off running in all directions leaving the traders and mercs bodies for them to loot.

Danse and Cutler jogged down to view their handiwork and perhaps obtain some tech to bring back with them to the Citadel. “Holy shit,” Cutler and Danse nearly jumped out of their skin at the sound of a child’s voice coming from under a trader.

Cutler spotted the source first and practically threw the trader off the child. “Hey,” he reached for the ropes tying her wrists, “Are you okay? Is there somewhere that we can take you home?”

The girl remained silent. She kept eyeing the pair, obviously not trusting them.

“I’m Knight Cutler and this is Knight Danse,” he introduced, “we’re with the Brotherhood of Steel.”

The girl seemed to visibly relax. She pointed at herself. “Katie.”

“Katie?” Cutler smiled, “That’s such a cute name. Katie, where do you live?”

The girl shrugged, “Nowhere.”

“Your parents?” He tried.

“Dead,” She said and pointed at the body next to Danse, “by that one.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Cutler said softly.

“We should take her back to the Brotherhood,” Danse suggested, “She looks old enough to be a squire.”

Katie shook her head, “No. I don’t want to be a soldier.”

Danse opened his mouth to protest and spew out all sorts of Brotherhood ideology that she was either too young to understand or didn’t actually care about. But Cutler stopped him with a sharp look before he turned back to Katie and nodded, “Okay, no Brotherhood. Is there a place you’d rather be? Danse and I don’t just want to leave you out here by yourself.”

Katie paused to think before she replied with, “Rivet City. Daddy says I have an aunt there.”

Cutler smiled and stood. He offered his hand to the child, “Okay, Rivet City it is.” Katie took his hand and he hoisted her up onto his shoulders. “Did you that Danse and I are from Rivet City? We know almost everyone there. Do you know your aunt’s name?”

Katie frowned and her grip in Cutler’s hair got marginally tighter. “No. I hope she recognizes me.”

Danse scowled. He wasn’t exactly fond of Katie and he wasn’t exactly sure why. He did however take the moment to appreciate how fucking domestic Cutler seemed with a child on his shoulders. Danse watched his partner laugh at something the child said and there was certain beauty to Cutler’s smile that he had rarely seen. There was an odd pang in Danse’s chest as he suddenly found himself wishing Katie was their child. Danse shook his head fast. Where the fuck had that thought come from?

“Rivet City is two days from here and in the opposite direction.” Danse mentioned.

Cutler turned back to glance at Danse for a moment, “I’m sure the Brotherhood wouldn’t mind us taking a small detour to help an important citizen.” He patted the top of her foot causing Katie to giggle.

 

By the time they stopped to bivouac Katie had fallen asleep on Cutler’s shoulders. The Knights laid out their bedrolls and Cutler was quick to offer his to Katie who accepted it. The second she was all wrapped up, she was asleep again.

“I don’t like this,” Danse muttered soft enough for only Cutler to hear him.

Cutler popped open a can of Cram and passed it to Danse, “Why? She’s a ten year old kid.”

“There’s something shifty about her.”

“You just don’t trust anyone.”

“What if she’s a spy.”

“For who, Danse?” Cutler asked amused, “the Chinese?”

Danse sighed, “I just want to be careful.” He poked at his Cram, not sure why he didn’t like the kid. It bothered him because at the same time there was a certain appeal to watching Cutler interact with the child. It was something new that he’d never seen before. Sure, Cutler got along with the squires or the occasional child who passed by in Rivet City but this felt different. Maybe it was because the child was alone and Cutler had become her temporary caretaker?

Cutler’s question knocked Danse back into reality, “Have you ever thought about it?”

“Thought about what?”

“Having kids,” Cutler’s expression had gone serious as he looked at Danse, “with me.”

Danse hesitated. He had but he wasn’t about to admit it. His silence though, seemed to give Cutler an answer because the man smiled.

“I wish others could see the you that I see.”

That threw Danse off guard, “What do you mean?”

Cutler shrugged and put his food down, “I mean the you that isn’t all Brotherhood ideology and soldier. The part of you that’s soft.”

Danse bristled, “I am not soft.”

Culter cozied up to Danse flashing one of his signature smiles that made the other go weak in the knees. “You sure about that?” His hand snaked forward gripping the top of Danse’s thigh while his nose touched the tip of Danse’s.

Danse swallowed trying to keep his libido in check. He was failing miserably because the second Cutler’s lips touched his, he was practically begging for more. “N-no,” he managed to get out, “We can’t the child- the child is right there.”

“Ah,” Cutler sighed, “You’re right. Too exposed.” He got up and moved to Danse’s sleeping bag and wiggled himself in.

“What- hey,” Danse kneeled by his sleeping bag and tried to get Cutler to exit but the other simply wiggled his way in, “You were supposed to take first watch.”

He flashed Danse that grin again. “Who ever falls asleep first gets to take second watch.”

“That’s not how that works.”

“Isn’t it?” Cutler reached out and grabbed Danse by the collar and yanked him down for a kiss.

Danse melted into it and found himself crawling into sleeping bag with Cutler. He let out a soft moan as their warm bodies pressed together and Cutler’s hand found its way between his legs.

“C-cutler,” he groaned, “w-we can’t.”

“Can’t we?” Their mouths found each others again and Danse was grateful for the tongue in his mouth when Cutler’s hand dipped under his pants and gripped his hard cock. Danse bucked his hips into Cutler’s hand chasing after his pleasure.

“P-please,” he whimpered softly and Cutler obliged.

“Fuck,” Cutler whispered into Danse’s ear, “You are so hot. I love you.”

The words were what wrecked Danse. He spilled into Cutler’s hand gasping and moaning into his boyfriend’s mouth.

Cutler held Danse and stroked him through his aftershocks until he finally withdrew his hand. Danse was quick to try and reciprocate, but Cutler was quicker. He climbed out of the sleeping bag and pressed a kiss to side of Danse’s head. “Sleep,” he ordered, “I’ll take first watch.”

Danse grumbled a soft protest but was out like a light the second after.

 

Cutler should not have taken first watch because the next thing he knew eh was being jolted awake by Danse shaking him roughly.

“She’s gone,” Danse simply said and Cutler scrambled to his feet. Their camp was a mess, and all their things were gone.

“Fuck!” Cutler was searching around their camp for any signs of who might’ve taken the girl. 

“Cutler,” Danse said flatly and handed him a scrap of paper.

The scrap was snatched out of his hand, “Is it a ransom? How many caps?”

“None,” Danse replied with the same flat tone.

“None? What do you mean none?” Cutler opened the note and read it aloud, “Bye losers, thanks for all your stuff….Oh.”

“I told you not to trust her,” Danse chided, “and I was right.”

Cutler chucked the note into the fire, “She needed it more than we did. We can always resupply.”

“She  _ stole _ from us!”

Cutler simply looked at Danse with an even stare.“If we were in her position, wouldn’t you do the same?”

Danse fell silent and swallowed. Cutler was right. Because he had been Katie’s position before and he had done the same. And it was Cutler that he had done it to. Only, Cutler had caught him before he could make off with all of his things.

“Come on,” Cutler nudged Danse, “We’ve still got a mission to complete.”


	2. Katie's Holotape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danse receives a holotape delivered straight from the Capital Wasteland from a familiar girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy whatever day it is that you're reading this! I hope you enjoy this chapter!
> 
> Chapter warnings: implied/referenced character death

“Here,” Stockton said handing a holotape to Nate. “This isn’t for you. It’is for that paladin over here.” He nodded indicating Danse who was working on his X0-1 with Hancock not so subtly enjoying the view.

Nate took it with great curiosity, and nodded. “Thanks Stockton. Do you know who it’s from?”

The old trader shook his head, “Nope. Came all the way from the Capital Wasteland though. I do have something for you. A  _ package  _ needs to be delivered.”

“Ah,” Nate smiled, “Of course. A standard delivery then?”

Stockton nodded, “Standard delivery. Done as soon as possible please.”

“Of course. I’ll head out tonight.” Nate thanked the old man once more and watched him depart Sanctuary. 

“Hey!” Nate called out and jogged towards the ghoul and the paladin, “Danse, I have something for you!”

Danse perked up and momentarily halted his work on his power armor. “You do? Soldier you should not have-”

“Now hold on, I didn’t buy it. I’m just a messenger.” Nate passed the holotape to Danse. “Stockton says it’s from the Capital Wasteland.”

“The Capital Wasteland?” MacCready overheard from the next room and popped his head it. “Who do you know in the Capital Wasteland?”

Danse frowned and shook his head, “No one. I mean unless it’s from the Brotherhood but…” His voice trailed off. Ever since losing his status with the Brotherhood, it had become a taboo topic and everyone was careful not to say anything. Even calling him Paladin was enough to set the man on edge.

“No one,” Danse repeated. Nate was quick to offer his Pip-Boy to Danse. He cleared his throat and popped the holotape in.

A young woman’s voice came through the holotape loud and clear, though based on the gruffness of her voice, she was a ghoul.

“Hi,” the voice started, “This message is for Knight Danse and Knight Cutler or whatever your ranks are now. I don’t know if either of you remember me but I was that kid, uh Katie, you saved from slavers a long time ago. You probably did that a lot but I hope I was memorable enough.”

All eyes were on Danse but his remained glued to the Pip-Boy.

Katie took a deep breath, “Look um, I just wanted to tell you both thank you. I… I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it weren’t for you guys. Just… just watching you two made me realize that I didn’t want to continue doing what I was doing. Stealing and doing shit like that. I felt guilty after I left you both and what I did to you… it never really left me. Kept eating at me.” 

Danse couldn’t bring himself to tear his eyes away from the Pip-Boy. They’d know each other for less than a day and he couldn’t even really say that he knew her.

Katie continued, “So I changed myself. Got a job with a traveling trader and soon I had enough caps to do it myself. And I met someone real special that way. His name’s Jacyen. And we’re getting married next week. And…” There was another deep breath, “I want you both to be there. If- if you can make it of course. I know you must be busy and all with official Brotherhood things but… if you can spare some of your time, I’d love to see you both again. Plus, I hope you’ll be proud of me.”

There was a slight crackle, and a quick pause followed by a gasp of relief. And then, “Woo! Okay. Um, I hope this gets to you both and I really hope you’re not dead. Oh and by the way, I know you think I was sleeping when you both were well… yeah. I’m glad you two have each other.”

Danse grabbed Nate’s Pip-Boy and ejected the holotape as fast as he could. He cleared his throat. “Soldier, thank you for letting me use your Pip-Boy.” He slipped the holotape into his toolbox and began working on this power armor again.

Nate, Hancock, and MacCready stared at Danse. No one was sure if they should be saying anything but the holotape begged to many questions.

“So-” Hancock began.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Danse snapped and that ended the conversation, for now. A look from Hancock to the other two indicated that he was going to have a separate conversation with the former paladin.

He turned to Vault 111’s sole survivor. “You staying?” Hancock asked already knowing the answer to the question. He didn’t miss how Stockton and the vaultie spoke earlier.

Nate shook his head, “No. I’ve got a delivery to make.” He saw MacCready’s gaze shifting between Danse and himself. Obviously, there was some inner turmoil going on there. Nate would put his money on MacCready wanting to go to the Capital Wasteland to see Duncan and using Danse as an excuse to do so. “I’m going to head to Diamond City though. Piper and Nick are good with deliveries.”

Preston happened to pass by at the moment and walked up to them. “Everything okay General? You seem awful serious.”

“We’re good Preston,” Nate said with a gentle smile, “I’m just going to head out in a bit. Hold down the fort while I’m gone?”

Nate’s right hand man smiled and gave him a short nod of acknowledgement, “Of course General. Oh and by the way, there’s a settlement that’s in need of help. I’ll mark it on your map.” He gave a short little wave and returned to his patrol path.

 

That night Hancock expected Danse to come into their shared room. Nate had made everyone pair up since they didn’t have enough resources to build separate rooms for everyone, yet. At first, neither Hancock nor Danse were to thrilled about the arrangement but after one drunken night the pair got along better and were less hostile towards one another. There seemed to be an unspoken something between them and whenever Nate took them on whatever mission he was currently on, they worked well as a team.

Hancock lay in his bed for another half hour waiting for Danse to come in so he could ambush the man and get him to talk about what had happened earlier. Not one for patience, Hancock got up and began to search for Danse. It didn’t take him long because he found the former paladin sitting in front of his power armor, working on it.

Hancock crept closer not wanting to disturb him just yet and found that Danse wasn’t actually working on his power armor at all. He’d taken apart an old radio (probably one from Nate’s junk pile) and modified it to play holotapes. And, he was playing Katie’s message on repeat.

Hancock silently took a few steps back and then proceeded to walk up to Danse with as much noise as possible giving the other a chance to pretend like he was actually working on his power armor. It worked because Danse scrambled to eject the holotape and look like he was busy.

“It’s late,” Hancock announced, “come to bed.” He inwardly winced realizing how couple-y that sounded. They weren’t in a romantic relationship but it would be a lie if Hancock hadn’t thought about it. The man was extremely attractive after all.

Danse simply grunted and looked back at his power armor. “Yeah,” he finally grumbled, “I guess.” He bent over giving Hancock a perfect view of his perfect ass and put his tools away. While also, simultaneously hiding his new holotape player.

Hancock waited patiently until Danse was done and then walked back with him to their room. “So,” the ghoul said shutting their door and crashing onto his bed, “You gonna go?”

“Go where?” Danse feigned ignorance as he crashed onto his own bed.

Hancock popped a mentat and raised an eyebrow at Danse. “The Capital Wasteland.”

Danse stiffened. He didn’t answer and chose instead to lie down and turn his back to Hancock.

“Is it an issue of the girl being a ghoul?” Hancock asked knowing full well that it wasn’t the issue, “because I thought we were past that. I mean I get that you hate my kind but damn.”

He was met with a huff of irritation. Hancock kept going. “You’re this kid’s hero. Are you really going to let her down?”

“I’m not her hero,” Danse finally spoke still facing the wall, “Cutler was her hero.”

Hancock had briefly heard about Cutler and that he’d been someone special to Danse who had presumably died. He garnered that much from the way Danse was sympathetic towards Nate whenever he talked about Nora. 

“So honor him and go in his stead.” Hancock urged. Honestly, he had no idea why he was pushing Danse to go and see this kid get married but it felt like the right thing to do. Maybe it was because he was curious about what would happen if Danse did go. 

“And look, if you don’t want to go alone I’ll go with you. For moral support or a date,” he joked. There was silence and Hancock was quick to offer him an out just in case Danse didn’t want to travel with him. “Or I know Mac would go. He needs an excuse to go see his own kid.”

There was more silence and Hancock was almost afraid that Danse had fallen asleep. Then, finally, “You would?”

“Go with you? Yeah, of course.”

“Then we leave at o-nine-hundred,” Danse replied firmly. “Tell MacCready.”

Hancock grinned in the darkness. “Sure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming up next chapter: The Capital Wasteland, Hancock meets Katie, and discovers a little bit about Danse's past.


	3. Cutler Still Has a Gift to Give

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danse, Hancock, and MacCready arrive in the Capital Wasteland making a quick detour to the Rivet City market.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to chapter three! Have some Cutler feels, bad flirting, and the infamous bed sharing trope.
> 
> Also I'm 100% no one is actually reading this fic so I'm just gonna update whenever.
> 
> No chapter warnings apply.

“Hang on, we have to stop,” MacCready announced stopping right outside the Rivet City Market.

“No,” Danse argued, “We’re almost there.”

“And I’m almost out of rations,” MacCready argued back, “Remember, I’m not stopping at the farm with you guys. I still have another day left to go.”

Danse grumbled, “Make it quick. I’ll wait here.”

“Why?” Hancock challenged, “Too scared to go in?”

The former paladin scowled and followed Hancock and MacCready inside. Already the market was giving Danse nostalgic vibes. He was quick to spot the corner stall where he and Cutler used to sell the junk they’d gathered. Avoiding it, Danse wandered off in a different direction. He didn’t need to be reminded of the life he once had and would’ve had if it hadn’t been for the fucking super mutants. At the very least, Danse knew that Cutler was real and his memories of Rivet City were real. Or… or they were just memories of a man he replaced. He wasn’t sure. Danse liked to think that he was an escaped synth rather than a replacement. At least then, his life was his and he chose the path he went down.

“You okay there?” A voice called out. Danse turned expecting to see Hancock or MacCready but instead he came face to face with someone familiar.

An old man with missing teeth stared at Danse like he was a ghost. “Holy fucking shit as I live and breathe, Danse is that you?” Danse walked closer and allowed for the man to get a closer look at him.

The man was the local blacksmith nicknamed, What’s-His-Face by some of the locals when they could never figure out how to pronounce his name. That, and he kept changing it every time.

“Hello,” Danse greeted.

What’s-His-Face laughed aloud and stood up on wobbly knees, “I didn’t think I would ever see you again. With you and Cutler running off to join the Brotherhood. How are they treating you?”

Danse swallowed and forced a smile, “Good. It’s good.”

What’s-His-Face didn’t look like he believed Danse at all. “Where’s Cutler? You two are inseparable.” He began looking around the market for Cutler.

“He’s- he’s not here anymore.” Danse answered softly. He felt a pang of longing in his heart.

“Oh, God, Danse I’m sorry.” What’s-His-Face fell quiet for a moment. “Wait here. I have something for you.”

Danse waited patiently while What’s-His-Face disappeared behind a curtain and then reappeared carrying a small package wrapped in cloth. He handed it to Danse.

“Cutler commissioned me to make these the last time he was here. When neither of you came back, I figured you didn’t have the time to come back for them so I just kept it. I hoped that maybe one day… one day one of you would come for them.”

Danse looked at the small cloth and opened it. His stomach lurched and Danse wanted to breakdown. Marriage was something that he and Cutler had discussed once, briefly but he didn’t think that Cutler would go and do this.

“H-how much does he owe you for these?” Danse asked reaching for his caps.

What’s-His-Face held his hand up and shook his head. “No charge. Just come by and visit once in a while, alright?”

“I live in the Commonwealth now,” Danse informed him.

“Well send a fucking letter once in a while,” What’s-His-Face replied.

Danse nodded his agreement, “Thank you.”

“Hey!” Hancock and MacCready yelled and made their way towards Danse.

Danse slipped the wedding rings into his pocket and made his way over to them. “Are you finally ready to go?”

 

Danse, Hancock, and MacCready stood just a mile outside of Katie’s farm which actually happened to be a few miles out from Rivet City.

“You guys good here?” MacCready asked. He was itching to see Duncan but at the same time he also wanted to make sure that his friends (though he would never admit they were) didn’t rip each other to shreds while traveling. Although, he did have to admit that he felt like a third wheel and wondered if there was something more going on between the ghoul and ex-brotherhood soldier.

“Yeah,” Hancock answered for Danse who’d fallen silent since their stopover in Rivet City. “We’re good.”

MacCready nodded, “See you in a couple days.”

“You bringing your kid back with us?”   
“What kinda question is that?” MacCready asked and departed.

Hancock had no idea if that was a yes or no. He turned to look at Danse. “Are you good?”

“Of course,” Danse scoffed a little ruder than he meant to be. He hadn’t been this nervous since he first joined up with the Brotherhood. And being here, facing his past fueled his anxiety. What would Katie even think of him now? Would she be disappointed in him and what he became? Or would it be awkward because Cutler wasn’t there. Maybe she just wanted to see Cutler and thought she had to invite Danse because they came as a package deal. After all, he didn’t really do anything except be silent and tell Cutler not to trust her.

“You sure you’re okay?” Hancock asked, “because you’re not moving. If you need time to gather yourself, I get it. Just- let me know, okay?”

Danse only gave a short nod and Hancock took that as him needing more time. He waited for a solid ten minutes before he reached out and put a hand on Danse’s shoulder. A gesture he knew would’ve gotten him shot in the face a few months ago.

The gesture seemed to break Danse out of his trance because he blinked and looked at Hancock. “I’m good, let’s go.”

Danse saw Hancock move his hand away and for a brief moment he felt his own reaching up to grab the ghoul’s hand. He stopped his hand with quick jerk that he hoped wasn’t interpreted in a rude way.

As they walked towards the farm, Danse couldn’t help but feel grateful that Hancock was going with him. MacCready annoyed him to no end and he was relieved when the merc parted ways. But, Danse was glad to give the man an excuse to go see his son. Hancock on the other hand had become Danse’s closest friend other than Nate. But lately it had been getting harder to be around the ghoul. Not for any bigoted reasons, not anymore, but because Danse was starting t feel something more between them. A something more he hadn’t felt since Cutler.

His dreams at night had featured Goodneighbor’s mayor more often than not and not all of them were… befitting of a soldier. It also didn’t help that because they were getting along, it meant that Hancock was more free to be handsy with Danse. Not in an inappropriate way, just in a friendly patting his back kind of way. But Danse would be lying he said he hadn’t thought about Hancock’s hands in other places.

Once they were close enough to the farm, Danse spotted two figures working in the tato fields. A ghoul woman and a scrawny farmer. He wondered if the ghoul was Katie. Danse got his answer in less than a minute because the girl looked up and let out a squeal of joy.

She dropped the shovel she was using and bolted in their direction. The second later, Danse’s arms were full of a laughing ghoul. He couldn’t help the sudden smile that crossed his face or the motion of picking her up to better hug her.

“Oh my God, I can’t believe you actually came!” Katie exclaimed when Danse finally put her down. She had the biggest grin on her face.

Danse couldn’t help but to admire the woman Katie had grown into. She was still young, around Maxson’s age, but she had definitely made something of herself. (Ha, if only Maxson could see him now.)

“Y-yeah,” Danse managed to get out, “It- it’s good to see you. You’re all grown up.”

Katie nodded proudly, “Yeah! You haven’t changed at all! Maybe the beard’s a bit thicker.”

Danse swallowed hard realizing it was because of his synth nature that he hadn’t changed. He changed the topic, “This is- um-”

“Cutler?” Katie asked Hancock with an excited gleam.

That excited gleam fractured Danse’s heart and it broke when he answered softly, “Cutler’s gone.”

Katie’s face fell and her hands her clasped over her mouth. “Danse, I- I’m so sorry. I know that he meant a lot to you.” She looked at Hancock and gave him a gentle smile, “I am glad you two have each other though.”

Hancock took the opportunity to introduce himself and lighten the mood a little. “John Hancock, Mayor of the Commonwealth’s one and only Goodneighbor and current traveling companion of good ol’ Paladin Danse.”

Katie smiled and shook Hancock’s irradiated hand with her own irradiated one, “Nice to meet you Mayor Hancock.” She turned to Danse, “Paladin? You moved up!”

Danse shook his head, “It’s just Danse. No Paladin.”

Sensing the awkwardness, Katie cleared her throat. “Come on, let me show you where you can stay.”

“Stay?” Danse asked grateful for the change in topic.

“Of course! You didn’t expect to stay anywhere else did you?”

“Well,” Danse admitted, “I figured we’d stay in Weatherly.”

Katie snorted, “And pay a hundred twenty caps for a bed? Don’t be ridiculous.” She flounced off causing Danse and Hancock to nearly job just to keep pace with her.

“Oh, by the way,” She called out and pointed at the human male they’d seen earlier, “That’s Eric, Jaycen’s brother.” Eric paused to wave. Danse and Hancock waved back.

She led them to a small barn-like structure attached to the main house but no way of actually entering the main house without having to exit the small structure and going around to access the front door.

“Cozy,” Hancock commented already making his way to the single bed in the corner of the room and crashing on it.

The one thing that Danse did notice about the room was that it had been untouched for a long time and seemed designed specifically for a Brotherhood soldier. Most notably the power armor frame, small tool box, and a steamer trunk with a missing top held rations.

Katie seemed to read his thoughts because she quickly explained herself, “We used to have Brotherhood soldiers passing through and sometimes they needed a place to stay. But that kind of stopped since Elder Lyons passed away. That and uh, not many people want to stay in a farm run by a ghoul.” She pointed towards the bed, “If you need more pillows or if one of you is a blanket hog let me know!”

Hancock grinned and took the opportunity to make a joke, “Danse is his own heater so no need for a second blanket.” He winked at Katie and Danse’s face went bright red.

“We- we’re not-” He stuttered trying to find the right words.

Unfortunately, Katie didn’t pick up on his embarrassment, “Gotcha. I’ll leave you two alone. Promise you’ll come get me if you need anything?”

“Promise,” Hancock made a cross over his heart, “We can’t wait to meet the soon to be hubby when he gets here.”

Katie grinned, “Me too! He’s a great guy and-” The sound of a brahmin, cut her off and Katie poked her head out. “Oh my God! Jaycen!” She yelled, “He’s here! Danse actually is here!”

There was the sound of someone running and then a puffy faced, out of breath, young man made an appearance. He was a human in his twenties and looked very much like a trader who carried the face of someone who was perpetually tired. Except for the fact that he was bursting with the same kind of jittery energy that seemed to make up the entirely of Katie’s being.

“Hi!” The young man burst out talking a mile a minute, “Hi, I’m Jaycen! You must be Knight Danse and are you Cutler? Wow, I didn’t know you were a ghoul too, that’s awesome! It’s so cool that you came just in time! I’m so excited that you’re here for the wedding because Katie talks about you both a lot and if it weren’t for you guys I don’t think we would’ve ever met. Oh by the way my name is Jaycen.”

Katie beamed but corrected her soon to be husband, “It’s just Danse and that’s Danse’s mister, Mayor Hancock of Goodneighbor.”

“Hello Mr. Mayor Hancock of Goodneighbor,” Jaycen greeted, “I’m glad you’re here too.” He turned to Katie with a question on the tip of his tongue. Katie shook her head at him and his expression morphed into something else. He nodded an understanding. “Well, it was very nice meeting you two but I need to unpack Polka Dots- our brahmin- Katie?”

Katie smiled, “I expect to see you two for dinner, okay?”

“As long as we’re not eating Polka Dots,” Hancock teased. That brought out a laugh from the pair and they departed.

Danse turned his attention to Hancock suddenly aware that there was only one bed in the room. “I’ll sleep on the floor,” he decided.

Hancock raised an eyebrow (well, if he had any, he would). “What? Don’t want to share a bed with me Dansey?”

“You and I won’t fit on the bed,” Danse argued meekly when in fact, the bed was large enough to fit both men.

“You sure about that?” Hancock grinned, “Because I’m pretty sure you’ll fit on the bed. Actually, I can think of another place you’ll fit.” He winked.

Danse wrinkled his brow confused at where Hancock thought he would fit. There wasn’t another place in the room for him to be. “I will sleep on the floor,” he said firmly.

Hancock wasn’t buying it. “Just get on the damn bed. We’re already roommates back home what’s the difference if we’re sharing a bed?”

“ _ There is a big difference!”  _ Danse wanted to yell. For one, Danse was sure that Hancock was simply being nice by offering to share the bed. He didn’t know that there were other things that Danse thought about and being in bed with the ghoul was one of his biggest fantasies. It didn't help that Hancock stretched out on the bed with a puff of Jet and let his legs fall open. The current view was enough to made Danse’s dick twitch with interest.

Quickly, Danse shifted his back a little lower so that it hid his lower half. He hoped that it would make him seem indecisive about where to set his things.

“Are you seriously just going to stand there?” Hancock asked, “It’s a little creepy. At least sit or something.” His black eyes followed Danse as he finally shuffled to the side of the bed and sat down with his pack still in his lap and his back turned to Hancock.

Hancock sighed and sat up. “Are you really that bothered by sharing a bed with me?” He’d thought maybe the uptight ex-paladin would be willing to share a bed even in the platonic sense. 

“No,” Danse argued defensively, “I just- it is unbefitting of a brotherhood soldier to share a bed when there are other viable options.”

Hancock snorted, “You’re not brotherhood anymore and the floor isn’t a viable option.”

Danse fell silent. He hated being reminded of the fact that he wasn’t brotherhood. He dropped his pack to the floor and stood up heading for the door.

“Danse, wait-” Hancock scrambled off the bed to chase after him.

“I have something I need to do, I’ll be back.” He simply said and shut the door behind him. He began walking around the barn to the main house. Danse did feel a little guilty about leaving Hancock behind but it was a good opportunity to leave.

Before he lost his nerve, Danse knocked on the door to Katie and Jaycen’s house. Katie opened the door and she grinned at him. “Knight- sorry,  _ Danse  _ is everything alright?”

Jaycen gave a small wave in Danse’ direction and paused in sewing the hole in his jeans. “Want to come in?” he asked.

“No, it’s alright. I just came to-” Danse swallowed not wanting to get emotional. “I- here,” He pulled something wrapped in cloth and handed Katie, “I was informed that it’s customary to give the bride and groom a wedding gift. It’s um, consider it a gift from Cutler. He would want you to have it.”

Jaycen stood and moved to Katie’s side watching as Katie undid the string that held the gift. “Are those-?” Jaycen began, “Were these yours and his?”

Danse nodded mutely and Katie’s mouth dropped open. “We can’t accept these.” She reached for his hand to refuse his gift but Danse shook his head.

“Yes, you can.” Danse insisted, “I- we couldn’t be happy together but you two can. Like I said, Cutler would want you two to have them. And I want you to have them too.”

“But these are incredibly special,” Katie argued back, “Don’t you want something of his?”

“Cutler had them made,” Danse explained forcing back emotions, “But he never got the chance to give them to me.” He took a deep breath and let out a huff of laughter, “Cutler has the best heart and I know that if he was here right now, he’d be pulling the ring off his own finger to give them to you. So please, accept our gift.”

Katie threw her arms around Danse. “Thank you. Thank you both so much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! I hope you enjoyed that!
> 
> Coming up next chapter: The actual wedding. Danse and Hancock admit some feelings (probably).


	4. Danse Might as Well Have Two Left Feet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danse is bad at dancing and makes a small confession.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday (or whatever day it is that you're reading this)! I am extremely delighted to announce that I've finished writing this fic and I can't wait to upload the rest of them!
> 
> No chapter warnings apply

Out of everything that Danse had ever experienced in his lifetime, a wedding had not been one of them. But now that he was, he decided that it was one of the most wonderful things in the world. He knew of Brotherhood soldiers who had gotten married but he wasn’t close to anyone to be invited. And even then, there was never a ceremony for it. Weddings were special and the Brotherhood was always at war so there was never really a time or place to hold one.

Danse sat in the front row on the bride’s side with Hancock to his left and an empty seat to his right. A place that was reserved for Cutler’s spirit.

Jaycen kept his misty eyes on his wife-to-be’s, “I love that when I look into your eyes, I can see the universe and everything good in them.”

“Gay,” Hancock whispered low enough for only Danse to pick up on.

Danse elbowed Hancock as hard as he could without drawing a scene. “Be nice,” he hissed.

“I am nice, that was a compliment.” Hancock, unlike Danse, had had been to plenty of weddings. Mostly to officiate being Goodneighbor’s mayor and all. But it was something he took pride in. Love wasn’t something to sniff at and it was an honor to marry the drifters that came through his town.

“And do you, Katie,” the officiate asked, “take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

Katie grinned and nodded, “I do.”

“Then, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Jaycen and Katie's faces were lit up with joy and the pair wasted no time in kissing each other. Cheers and smiles erupted from the attendees and even Danse found himself cheering alongside them.

 

\----

 

“Man,” Hancock laughed, “for a soldier you sure have shitty coordination.”

Danse winced and moves his foot again only to step on the edge of Hancock’s boot. “Sorry,” he grumbled, “they teach us combat not dancing.”

“Combat is a type of dance,” Hancock reasoned. “Here, just let me lead.” He positioned his hands so he could properly grip Danse’s waist. “Just relax a little. You’re too tense.”

“I’ve never done this before.”

“I bet you can say that about a lot of things,” Hancock blurted out without thinking. “Sorry,” he quickly apologized, “that was rude.”

“It’s true though,” Danse mumbled under his breath. There were no more words spoken between them and Danse tried to relax as Hancock said. It was just dancing but it also seemed like it was too much for him to handle. There was too much coordination in a way that Danse wasn’t used to. It wasn’t like he hadn’t tried to dance before. He had tried, after Shaun said something about Danse not dancing as much as his name implied. But dancing by yourself just seemed silly to him and so he never bothered. In hindsight, looking silly by himself was a lot better than looking ridiculous in front of a crowd.

“Hey,” Hancock squeezed his waist gently, “no one’s staring.”

Danse clenched his jaw and allowed himself to look around. Hancock was right. No one was looking because they were all too absorbed in their own partners. The newlyweds were gazing into each others eyes and the others were just as enthralled. Danse and Hancock just blended in with everyone else and no one seemed to notice what a terrible job Danse was doing.

The paladin looked to his hands and saw they were gripping Hancock's shoulders with so much strength his knuckles were white and he was suddenly overwhelmed with the knowledge that he was unintentionally hurting the other. He let go to shove the other away but Hancock reached up and caught his wrists.

“It’s alright,” the ghoul insisted, “you weren’t hurting me or anything. I got thick skin.”

Danse almost hated the fact that Hancock always seemed to know what was going on in his head. And maybe that was part of what made the ghoul a natural leader. Something that Danse knew he lacked.

“Here,” Hancock moved Danse’s hands so they laced behind his neck instead, “this should help you  little.”

They lapsed into silence once again and Danse found himself looking anywhere but Hancock's face. At that moment everything just felt so real and he felt like life was so intense just for that one moment. He was present and  _ real.  _ Something he hadn’t felt since finding out he was just a synth. A machine pretending to be human. These days he wasn’t even sure what was real and what wasn’t. He was just ‘living’ day-to-day. Going with Nate or staying in Sanctuary; things had started to blend into a mush of events.

But right now, all Danse could think about was Hancock. The ghoul right in front of him. The one who put him in his place whenever he said some bigoted comment, who willingly shared a room with him and didn’t put up with any of his shit, who showed him endless kindness and patience, and showed him that it was okay not to have all the answers and that hurting was a part of living.

He could feel Hancock’s hands on his waist. The ghoul’s grip was gentle and soft, so unlike his combative personality. Danse didn’t really understand why Hancock cared about him. Hell, he didn’t even know  _ when  _ Hancock started caring about him. Or when Danse started caring about Hancock. It was just something that… happened.

“You’re doing better,” Hancock’s voice cut into Danse’s thoughts.

“You said to let you lead,” Danse replied. He finally looked at Hancock and his eyes caught his own reflection in the ghoul’s own eyes. His face was flushed and he could feel the sweat in his palms. For some reason, looking at Hancock- being with him- stirred feelings that Danse thought he buried a long time ago.

He wanted to lean in and know the taste of Hancock’s lips and wondered if they would be soft. Or if his hands would feel better against his skin without the fabric of clothing to block his touch. He wanted to know what it would feel like to have Hancock’s body wrapped around his instead of feeling his back pressed against his own. Danse wanted to share a loving embrace. He wanted to take the risk and dive into living. Living  _ with  _ Hancock instead of just living alongside him and their friends.

Danse knew this feeling and was scared but he wanted to feel something. “ _ Better to just leave it alone,”  _ he thought. Hancock was flirt for sure but he also flirted with everyone. Danse wasn’t an exception to that. The ghoul probably didn’t feel that way towards him.

“You’re thinking too much. Just relax.”

“Easier said than done,” Danse replied. He tore his eyes away from Hancock and settled for watching the bride and groom. They looked so happy to be with each other. A gleam of light bounced off their rings and just for a split second Danse saw a familiar face watching in the background. He did a double take as he saw Cutler’s smile.

Cutler looked towards Danse and Hancock. He gave them a wink and was gone.

“They look happy,” Hancock said following Danse’s eye line.

“Yeah.”

Danse swallowed down his anxiety and looked Hancock in the eye. Seeing Cutler again… he had to say something. Take a leap of faith and live. 

“I think I’m in love with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming up next chapter: heart-to-heart conversations and smut


	5. More than Just the Physical

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danse and Hancock get it on but there's also some feelings involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might’ve gotten a little carried away with the sex and it’s a little more emotional than I originally intended. Oh well, Enjoy!
> 
> Chapter warning: sex

Hancock’s eyes locked into Danse’s. “Well shit,” he managed to say.

Danse’s face flushed and he tried to break away from Hancock and go hide his face for the rest of eternity. But Hancock’s grip only tightened and held him in place.

“I’m really glad the feeling is mutual.”

“What?”

Hancock grinned, “I was beginning to think that I never had a chance with you.”

“You?” Danse’s tone was incredulous, “You thought you didn’t have a chance with me?”

Hancock shrugged, “I kept flirting with you and I thought that you weren’t receptive because you weren’t interested.”

“I-” Danse was at a loss for words, “I am! I am interested. A lot interested!” His words were tumbling out with the same lack of coordination like his dancing. “Like  _ us  _ interested. I thought that… well because I’m- I’m not good at this kind of thing.”

Hancock chuckled, “I can tell, sweetheart.”

“Ah,” Danse blushed and turned his head away.

“Come on,” Hancock was gentle as he broke their dance and let him away from the other dancers. “Let’s go somewhere more private.”

Danse caught Katie’s eye and she waved at them bidding them a silent goodnight and a promise to see them in the morning.

 

“So,” Hancock sat on their shared bed and Danse sat next to him, “since when?”

Danse shrugged, “I don’t know. I just… I just know that it happened and now I can’t stop thinking about you. And me.” There was a moment of silence before Danse spoke again. “I was afraid to say anything because I’m- because I’m a synth.”

“What does being a synth have to do with anything?”

“It just does,” Danse felt a bubble of frustration, “because I don’t even know if my decisions are my own or if they’re just programmed into me. I don’t know if I loved Cutler because the Institute wanted me to or if I loved him because it was my choice. I don’t even know if I love you because of the Institute’s influence or-”

“Woah, slow down a second.” Hancock reached out and grabbed Danse’s hands to ground him. “Form everything we know about the Institute, I’m pretty sure programming synths to love ain’t on their agenda. And besides, love is complicated. It’s something that happens naturally and it’s not something that can be programmed. Shit like this is too unpredictable for a bunch of computers and machinery. Tell me,” Hancock nudged Danse’s face so they were looking at each other, “if someone had told you that one day you would be in love with a ghoul would you have believed them? What would you have done? I’m betting you would’ve avoided all ghouls at any cost.”

Danse felt like he was being swallowed by Hancock’s words. The other was absolutely right. If  he had know that one day he was going to fall in love with Hancock and dream about kissing the ghoul, he probably would’ve shot him on the spot just to avoid it.

Danse’s silence spoke volumes. He decided that if there was ever a time to take control, now would be that time. Hancock was sitting right in front of him. If there was ever going to be a time and place for Danse to act on his feelings,  _ now  _ was that time and place.

“Can- can I kiss you?”

Hancock let out a short, light laugh, “Of course you’d be the type to ask.” He didn’t let Danse stew in his embarrassment and leaned forward.

Their lips met in an awkward clash of too much teeth and odd angles. It was obvious that kissing was something Danse only dreamed about and had done few times in his life. Danse kissed like the soldier he was. Too focused on the task at hand, stiff, and executing. Hancock on the other hand kissed exactly the way Danse expected him to. With suave, and finesse.

But unlike their prior dance, Danse let Hancock take the lead and allowed himself to be pliable under the ghoul’s touch. He relaxed his mouth a little and did his best to follow Hancock’s movements until their lips were perfectly slotted together like this was the only thing his mouth was meant to do.

Hancock’s mouth was as perfect as Danse expect it to be. His lips were unexpectedly soft and his kiss was fueled with love and experience. A warm wet tongue nudged at his bottom lip and Danse opened his mouth to allow Hancock’s tongue to slip in. The paladin let out a soft moan as his mouth was invaded with hot slick.

Kissing was a surreal experience for Danse and he had no idea that he could feel this way. Yes, he loved Cutler, and still did, but all the times they had spent together were either in the Brotherhood or trying to survive in the Capital Wasteland. There was never time to do what he and Hancock were doing now. Living in the moment and savoring it. Right now, Danse wasn’t worrying about where his next meal would come from or if a superior officer would find out about his “fraternization” with a fellow soldier. At this moment, he could just let go.

Danse was desperate for more contact. He brought his hand up to the side of Hancock’s face and pressed his lips harder against the ghoul’s. Hancock responded in kind by doing the same. Their kisses became powerful and it became a battle of passion. Danse wanted more contact, more of everything.

Hancock could feel Danse becoming impatient. In one fluid movement, he swung his leg over Danse’s wait and effectively pinned the larger man underneath him. He felt Danse gasping into his mouth as Hancock ground his clothed crotch against the other man.

“F-fuck,” Danse whimpered unable to concentrate on anything other than the pleasure building between his legs.  _ More  _ was the only thought in his head. He bucked his hips upward in an attempt to get more friction. It wasn’t enough and there was too much obstruction between them. Danse reached out and tugged at Hancock’s coat trying to undo the buttons.

Hancock pulled away sitting back but not getting off Danse’s lap. He shucked his jacket and shirt helping Danse to do the same.

For a second the only thing they could do was stare at each other’s bodies. Danse was all strength and muscle while Hancock was scrawny and corpse-like. But that didn’t matter because Hancock was radiating confidence while Danse was soaked in nerves.

“Kiss me,” Danse tried to demand and gain a little control back but it came out sounding like a breathy request. Either way, it earned him another kiss.

Danse’s hands roamed up and down Hancock’s sides. He wanted to feel all of Hancock’s irradiated skin. It was such an odd texture but one that was pleasant. A dirty thought popped into his head. If this was how good his skin felt, then how would the skin on his cock feel? How would it feel inside of him? Danse assumed it would be just as irradiated with the same texture. Without warning, Danse gave into his temptation and stuck his hand down the front of Hancock’s pants.

“Woah there soldier boy,” Hancock let out a light laugh.

Danse suddenly realizing what he’d done, flushed bright red and pulled his hand away. “S-sorry, I just-”

Hancock cut him off with a gentle kiss. “Nah, it’s okay. You just gotta warn a guy first.” This time, he took Danse’s hand a guided it under his belt. Hancock let out a low moan as Danse’s hand made contact with his dick. “Fuck that feels good,” he gasped.

Encouraged by the words, Danse wrapped his whole hand around the mayor’s cock and did his best to jerk him off. He was enthralled by the warmth and soft texture of Hancock’s penis. Even though it felt irradiated, there was something different. Something that made Danse want to never stop touching and giving Hancock pleasure. Fuck, he wanted to know the taste of ghoul cock and wondered if his cum would give him radiation poisoning. The thought of giving himself radiation poisoning via sucking dick was definitely something Danse had never thought would ever turned him on. Now, his mouth was watering and his dick was straining in his pants at the mere prospect of stuffing his face (and later his ass) with Hancock.

“I want to see you,” Danse whispered, “please.”

Hancock knew he was weak to Danse’s pleasing but he maintained composure by giving the former paladin a smirk. “Only if I get to see you too.”

Danse nodded eagerly and nearly pushed Hancock off of him in order to rid himself of the rest of his clothing as fast as possible. In his brain, the faster the clothing got removed the faster he could taste Hancock. However the ghoul seemed to be taking his time which was not ideal. Copying Hancock’s earlier motion, he swung himself over the ghoul and pinned him to the bed. The rest of their clothing was unceremoniously tossed aside. Hancock’s black eyes were watching Danse like a predator which only served to make Danse’s cock twitch in anticipation.

Hancock was surprisingly bigger than what Danse expected. In all actuality, he wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but it was impressive. Leaning down, Danse indulged himself and took all of Hancock in his mouth.

“H-Holy fucking shit,” Hancock gasped. He was shocked at the sudden intensity Danse was extruding. He knew the paladin had experience in the sex department, but he always figured that Danse was the shy type. Not the horny beast in front of him devouring his penis like it was to be his last meal on earth.

Danse hollowed his cheeks and sucked. He was rewarded with a loud moan that sounded like absolute music. He drank in the pleasure filled moans. Danse’s dick strained in his pants as he tasted the saltiness of Hancock’s pre-cum. He ran his tongue across the slit of Hancock’s dick relishing in the sounds above him.

A hand weaved into Danse’s hair and the sensation nearly had his arms giving out. He hoped Hancock didn’t notice but unfortunately he did because the hand in his hair tigheted and there was a low chuckle.

“You like that?” Hancock was grinning like a child who just discovered ice cream for the first time. He gave another sharp tug on Danse’s hair and the paladin’s mouth faltered.

Danse really thought he had the upper hand for a second but the moment Hancock’s hand was in his hair his arousal spiked and he wanted nothing more than to submit to the ghoul that made him feel more human since discovering he was a synth.

“C’mere love,” Hancock grabbed Danse’s arms and hoisted him to press their lips together in a wet messy kiss.

Danse groaned into Hancocks mouth wanting to feel everything. Their erections rubbed up against each other causing both to moan.

“Ha-Hancock,” Danse moaned, “I need you.”

“Fuck yeah,” Hancock rubbed his hands on Danse’s thighs. “How do you want to do this baby?’

Danse wasn’t really expecting the question and the words died in his mouth. “I-uh- I-” He swallowed and found that he couldn’t answer. Whenever he was with Cutler things just happened naturally and it didn’t matter what position they were in. As long as they were together and as long as there was love between them.

“Woah,” Hancock sat up and brushed his thumb over the tears that welled in Danse’s eyes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

Danse shook his head, “No it’s not- It’s not your fault.”

“Do you want to stop?” 

Once again, Danse shook his head. Hancock smiled gently in a way that Danse had never seen before.

Hancock kept his eyes locked on Danse’s. “You were thinking about Cutler, weren’t you?” There was no answer from Danse which told Hancock everything. “It’s okay you know.”

Danse gripped the ghoul’s wrists, “But I- I want you.”

“I know,” Hancock comforted, “It’s okay. I know that you loved him, still do, and I’m not asking you to stop and I don’t expect to take his place.”

“I’m sorry, I-”

“No,” Hancock grabbed Danse’s face, “No. Do not be sorry. Don’t be sorry for loving.” He wrapped his arms around the other man and just held him.

Danse had thought that bring up Cutler (or in this case, not bringing up Cutler) was going to put a damper between them and spoil anything he and Hancock might possibly have. Instead, there were warm arms around him and gentle kiss to his shoulder.

“Hancock,” Danse whispered, “How? How can you even- someone like me?”

“Because I love you, you clueless idiot.” Hancock pressed another kiss to his shoulder.

“You missed,” Danse whispered.

Hancock grinned when Danse smiled back at him. “Alright then, properly this time.” He tilted his head up and kissed Danse on the lips.

This time there was no rush of passion, only love and affection. Hands roamed to feel and give pleasure. Each man was consumed by the need for each other.

Hancock’s hand was back in Danse’s hair. Gentle and soft, meant to caress and massage. And soon Danse was moaning into Hancock’s mouth. He ground his hips against Hancock’s. He could feel the other’s erection side along the clef of his ass.

Danse shifted and got on his knees. He reached down and fisted Hancock’s penis positioning it over his hole.

“Woah, holy shit you can’t just- you need prep first,” Hancock gripped Danse by the thighs.

“But I thought- well-” Danse’s face flushed bright red.

Hancock’s eyebrows (if he had any) shot upwards. “You think because you’re a synth you don’t feel real pain?”

Danse didn’t think it was possible to blush any redder, but he did. He averted his eyes and let go of Hancock’s dick.

“Here,” Hancock smiled, “let’s dance.” He shifted and maneuvered Danse to his back. He tapped the inside of the paladin’s thigh encouraging him to spread them.

Danse obeyed doing his best not to look Hancock in the eyes. He hated the feeling of vulnerability; on display for Hancock to see.

“You okay?” Hancock asked massaging the top of Danse’s thighs.

“Yeah, just nervous.”

Hancock hummed softly, “Let me know if you feel uncomfortable or you need to stop.”

Danse found himself relaxing and he took a deep breath. He met Hancock’s eyes and saw there was kindness. “I love you,” he whispered, “I want you.”

“I love you too,” Hancock replied back and leaned over to kiss Danse. His hand wandered down until he was rubbing Danse’s dick.

Danse gasped and and arched his hips upward for more friction. He whined as Hancock’s hand left his dick and wandered down to circle his hole. He reached up with both hands to circle the ghoul’s neck and pull him into a hug. Warmth of the hug distracted Danse from the initial burn of Hancock’s finger. He hadn’t had sex in a while and wasn’t prepared for the pain. If only he could skip the pain jump straight to the mindblowing-

“OH FUCK!” Danse nearly howled as Hancock found that perfect spot inside him that made him see stars. “A-again, please!”

Hancock grinned and slipped in another finger. He kissed Danse on the lips before leading a trail down his neck and using his free hand to tweak one of the paladin’s sensitive nipples.

Danse keened and gasped, “Please, this has- this has to be enough. Hancock, please, I need you.”

“You sure?”

“Yes!” Danse pushed back against Hancock’s fingers eagerly.

Hancock withdrew his fingers and Danse nearly cried with the loss. He sucked in a deep breath as the ghoul lined his cock up with his aching hole. Hancock pressed the head of his cock against Danse and slid inside.

Hancock gasped at the tightness of Danse’s ass. It was taking all of his willpower not to just thrust wildly into Danse’s ass. He gazed down and saw the pain fueled grimace on his lover’s face. Gently, he stroked Danse’s penis washing pleasure into him and lessening the pain.

“I’m good,” Danse gasped, “I’m good, I’m good, move.” He wanted to just push past the pain and move onto the pleasure part of it.

Hancock simply looked at him, “I will stop if you can’t handle this.”

Danse scowled, “I can handle this.” To prove his point he thrust back on Hancock causing both of them to stutter and moan.

Hancock go the message and drove his hips forward aiming for Danse’s prostate. It took him no time at all to locate it and send Danse into a frenzy of wanton gasps.

Danse’s back arched and he dug his fingers into Hancock’s back silently urging the ghoul to thrust deeper, harder, make him see the stars. Overwhelming pleasure coursed through his body taking over all of his senses. He was drowning in Hancock and still wanted so much more. He wanted to be consumed by the other.

Hancock groaned and couldn’t resist nibbling on Danse’s neck. He could feel his orgasm building too fast but had no intention of slowing down. Reaching between them, he fisted Danse’s cock relishing in the howl that burst forth from the soldier’s mouth.

Then, Danse’s body went taut. His head was thrown back and his mouth was open in a silent scream. Spasms shook his body as Danse spilled across their stomachs and chests.   
“Fuck, Danse,” Hancock groaned, “I’m gonna-”

“Inside,” Danse babbled, “inside me!” That was all it took for Hancock to lose control and he came inside Danse.

Hancock took a deep shuddering breath as he pulled out from Danse and flopped on the bed next to him. “That- that was great,” he breathed.

Danse nodded unable to stop the shaking. He sucked in a gasp as Hancock stoked his oversensitive arm. Exhaustion washed over him and he found himself leaning into the ghoul’s touch.

“It’s okay,” Hancock murmured into his ear, “Sleep.”

And he did.

 

\----

 

“Thank you so much for coming,” Katie gave Danse her warmest hug, “you have no idea how much it means to me.”

“I’m glad that I came too,” Danse agreed.

Jaycen smiled and shook the paladin’s hand, “You know, I think Katie and I might take a trip up to the Commonwealth sometime.”

“Well, you’re always going to be welcome.” Danse smiled and took a step back towards Hancock. He spotted MacCready a few meters away with his son on his shoulders. “We should get going.”

“Yeah,” Katie smiled and wrapped her arms around her husband’s waist, “Bye Danse.” She waved at Hancock who waved back.

Danse walked towards Hancock and the pair met up with MacCready. They began walking away from the fam.

“Duncan,” MacCready introduced his son, “These are my friends. The ghoul is Hancock and the big guy is Danse.”

Duncan gave a shy little wave a buried his face his his father’s hat. “Hi,” he said with his voice muffled.

“Hey little man,” Hancock grinned, “You know you look just like your Dad.” Duncan lifted his head and shyly grinned.

“So,” MacCready nodded towards Danse and Hancock, “how was the wedding?”

Hancock gave a toothy grin to the merc, “Better than amazing.”

“Yeah,” Danse echoed feeling Hancock’s hand take his own, “better than amazing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all enjoyed that as much as I enjoyed writing this :D I have another fic in this fandom that I'm writing and if y'all wanna request anything I'm 100% open to it.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed!


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